— Susan Smith Ellis, Chief Marketing Officer at Getty Images

The Global Goals for sustainable development have the potential to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and fix climate change. But what does this look like? And how do you get that message to transcend culture and geography?

“Imagery brings these causes to life, offering a window into global issues,” said Susan Smith Ellis, Getty Images Chief Marketing Officer. “We don’t have to look at a picture and worry about translation. Images are the lingua franca of our time.”

Here’s how we envision the 17 Global Goals in images, the universal language:

Goal 3: Good Health

Goal 4: Quality Education

Award-winning Getty Images Reportage photojournalist Paula Bronstein captured this image of schoolchildren in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan in 2005. The children are beginning their first day of class in a makeshift school, two weeks after a devastating earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in the region.

Goal 7: Modern Energy

Wind turbines by Maria Wachala represent modern energy and sustainability. This image is one of many included in a toolkit the Global Goals team has put together so people all over the world can make the goals famous in schools, organizations, workplaces and communities.

Goal 9: Innovation and Infrastructure

The image we chose to represent Innovation and Infrastructure also represents a trend in imagery we predicted for 2015, called “Future Unknown.” It’s a creative revolution finding image makers rejecting nostalgia and designing a new visual aesthetic: a technology-centered future.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption

This photo by Getty Images Prestige photographer Hiroshi Watanabe illustrates concepts of consumption, environmental conservation and sustainability in a fresh way, using CGI technology and the “streets” of Tokyo for inspiration.

Goal 13: Protect the Planet

This Global Goals message from Professor Stephen Hawking uses Getty Images video to deliver a powerful message: The more people know about Global Goals, the more likely our leaders are to stick to them.

Goal 14: Life Below Water

The turtle in this photo by M. M. Sweet looks like you can reach out and touch it — an approach which is visually on trend. As our Creative Research team has noted, we are in an age of perpetual “Wonderlust,” with enduring fascination with the boundless beauty and unpredictability of nature’s mysteries. This image captures that essence.

Goal 15: Life Above Water

Award-winning Getty Images Reportage photojournalist Brent Stirton often focuses on conservation issues, and his images of a slain silverback gorilla in the Democratic Republic of Congo are a particularly strong example of his work. “Those pictures caused a bit of a stir,” Stirton said. “We managed to raise over $50 million for gorilla conservation.”